Bidet assembly for toilets

ABSTRACT

A bidet assembly comprises at least one jet nozzle, connected to a multi-port tube fitting, which is connected to a water supply tube, which may comprise of four sections, and which is connected to the toilet bowl refill nipple, and a non-permanent mounting means. Said bidet assembly is a one-size-fits-all for retrofitting toilets of all sizes and shapes, has no moving parts, valves or controls and which provides fine jet streams of cool water spray—even from chilly cold water source—for cleansing a user&#39;s private parts during a toilet bowl refill cycle. Said bidet assembly is mounted inside and behind a toilet tank and inside a bowl and, therefore, is completely hidden from view and keeps water from splashing outside of the bowl. Said bidet assembly can be mounted or removed without tools, in less than two minutes and leaves neither mars nor damage on a toilet.

REFERENCES CITED U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

3,256,531 June 1966 Arensberg 4/448   3,310,813 May 1967 Johnson 4/448   3,943,961 September 1976 Knapp 4/420.4 4,242,764 January 1981 Fukuda 4/420.4 4,450,596 May 1984 Cohen 4/447   4,691,391 September 1987 Kuo 4/447   5,142,711 September 1992 Parikh 4/420.4 5,247,711 September 1993 Kwon 4/420.4 5,271,104 December 1993 LaTora 4/420.4 5,287,566 February 1994 Azada 4/420.4 5,652,971 August 1997 Wokas 4/420.4 5,722,097 February 1998 Deveer 4/420.4 5,799,341 September 1998 Rodas 4/420.4 5,809,585 September 1998 Farshad 4/443   5,953,766 September 1999 Szoke 4/420.4 5,991,937 November 1999 Safara 4/420.4 6,178,568 January 2001 Boulieris 4/420.4 6,321,396 November 2001 Vallejo 4/420.4 6,339,852 January 2002 Huang 4/420.4 6,408,451 June 2002 Carn et al. 4/420.4 6,473,913 November 2002 Bell 4/448   6,526,602 March 2003 Jeon 4/420.4 6,643,856 November 2003 Valverde 4/420.4 6,704,946 March 2004 Mueller et al. 4/420.4 6,785,915 September 2004 Daugherty 4/448   6,843,432 January 2005 Philpott 239/289    6,874,173 April 2005 Smith et al. 4/420.4 6,978,492 December 2005 Francisco et al. 4/420.4

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application is a Third Continuation-In-Part of application Ser. No. 11/731,862, filed on Apr. 2, 2007. The First Continuation-In-Part is application Ser. No. 11/880,383, filed on Jul. 20, 2007 and the Second Continuation-In-Part is application Ser. No. 11/903,654, filed on Sep. 24, 2007. The original Application is Ser. No. 11/648,878, filed on Dec. 26, 2006.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a bidet assembly for retrofitting toilets for the cleansing of a user's private parts.

2. Descriptions of the Prior Art

Bidet is a stand-alone unit beside a conventional toilet to provide spray of water to the underside of a user for the cleansing of the user's private parts. Because bidet requires additional floor space and is also expensive, they are not installed in most homes.

Therefore, retrofitting existing conventional toilets with a bidet assembly provides a practical solution. There is a myriad of prior art on the design of an ideal bidet assembly. All of the prior art bidet attachments, however, suffer at least one of the following deficiencies: prone to splash water out of toilet, expensive to manufacture, complex, permanent attachments, difficult to install and remove, leave mar or damage in toilet when bidet is removed, difficult to use, failure to meet sanitary requirements, and unsightly. Examples of such prior art bidet attachments are shown and described in the cited References.

A major problem that is not obvious from reading the prior art and because it was not specifically addressed nor pointed out by the prior art is the propensity of splashing water out of a toilet bowl during the application of prior art devices. As a user sits on a toilet seat, the opening in the toilet seat is practically completely covered by the user. Therefore, it can be very difficult to maneuver a hand-held device, such as a hand-held spray (U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,978.492, 6,843.432, 6,785,915, 6,704,946, 6,473,913, 5,991,937, 5,953,766, 5,809,585), into and out of a limited opening, which is behind the user and between user's buttocks and toilet seat, with water continuously of the sprayer, and preventing water from spraying outside of a toilet.

The process becomes more complicated when it also requires the manipulation of a handle, valve, knob or other controls under normal circumstances. It becomes further more complicated, and may even be confusing, when a user gets up in the middle of the night, perhaps half asleep and in the dark, goes to the toilet and attempts to use such devices. It becomes even further more difficult when such devices (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,287,566, 5,722,097, 5,799,341) are located behind the user.

The prior art bidet device of U.S. Pat. No. 3,310,813 presented an unsanitary condition because its vertical spray nozzle is directly under the buttocks of a user. Although this problem is solved by U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,907, it requires manipulating a handle behind the user to move the bidet structure out of the way. U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,104 solved said problem using a pivotal nozzle. This is not a problem for this present invention of a bidet assembly because said bidet assembly is designed to be hidden from view and, therefore, its nozzle is not directly under a user buttocks.

The prior art bidet attachments of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,799,341, 5,271,104, 5,142,711 are among the easier ones to install as far as the water supply source is concern, because they connect to the toilet bowl's refill water outlet as their water supply source, instead of the main water supply pipe to the toilet tank. However, these prior art bidets are still expensive (U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,104), difficult to use (U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,341), and unsightly (for all three said patents). They all require some permanent attaching means, such as adhesives, screws or bolts and nuts, to secure the spray nozzles. Furthermore, using the toilet bowl's refill water outlet nipple as a water supply source can create a problem if the outlet of the new water supply line is at and lower than the toilet tank bottom level. Such a new water supply line can leak water continuously due to a siphoning effect of water from the toilet tank and causing the tank to intermittently filling up.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,711 additionally specified securing spray nozzles on a toilet bowl uppermost surface. Such nozzles placement location presents two problems: First, said nozzles prevent some toilet seats from mating completely on the toilet bowl surface; Second, water shooting out from the jet spray nozzle would spray outside a toilet bowl. Therefore, its stand alone Claim 1 is not a practical and viable solution. This prior art attempted to solve said problem by diverting part of the water (Claim 3) to the overflow tube using a “T” fitting. However, this partial diversion of water is still insufficient to solve said problem. Further attempt (Claim 8) was made by this prior art to solve said problem by specifying “a means, such as an adjustable clamp, for restricting the flow of water.” A close/open clamp, as shown by this prior art, does not provide a good control for flow of water. A valve would have given better result. In any case, by adding a means of control complicates the device ease of use.

The prior art bidet attachment of U.S. Pat. No. 3,256,531 specified an integral liquid supply and nozzle tube system wherein part of the liquid supply tube having two resilient attachment means, one of said means is a C-shaped clip conforming substantially to the cross-section of a toilet bowl top rim. Said design is specific to a rim geometry and is impractical for general application as there is a myriad of sizes and shapes for a bowl top rim. Other parts of the bidet attachment are located on top and also protruding out the side of a toilet bowl and are, therefore, unsightly. This prior art is also incomplete as a complete bidet system as it only mentioned a pressurized liquid source without specifying what that source would be and it also mentioned that a valve may be necessary as a means for controlling the liquid flow.

All prior art bidet devices are unsightly because they are seen as clutter in a limited space toilet room, or can be seen as add-on on the side of a toilet or protruding out of a toilet in many places.

To avoid unsightliness, bidet assembly parts must be out-of-sight and that would require bidet parts to be located within the confines of a toilet tank and bowl. This is a stringent requirement because there are no standards in the size and shape for toilet tank and bowl. And because there are no standards—other than the bolt down holes spacing for the toilet and the hole spacing for bolting a toilet seat—there are literally a myriad of toilet sizes and shapes in the market. Making and inventorying a myriad of bidet sizes is impractical and expensive. The only standard for toilet bowl is the name for the shape of a bowl—round and elongated. The standardization, however, ended there. Within each round and elongated classification, there are again myriad of sizes and shapes. Differences in size and shape are found not only among different brands but also within a brand. For example, one company alone has 36 different models and each model's size and shape are different.

The following table shows actual measurements of toilet sizes (in inches) for one brand alone for some of its models. The letters represent parts of a toilet tank and bowl shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

TANK DIMEN- BOWL DIMENSIONS SIONS BOWL SHAPE L W LW LD LH D TH TL ROUND 11.50 10.63 3.00 1.13 1.50 3.75  7.00 17.00 ROUND 12.00 11.00 2.25 1.00 1.50 4.38 12.00 17.50 ELONGATED 13.50 10.75 2.50 1.50 1.50 4.25 10.25 16.00 ELONGATED 13.50 10.88 2.75 1.25 1.50 4.75 10.25 15.50 ELONGATED 13.63 10.88 2.75 1.25 1.50 4.50 10.50 16.00 ELONGATED 14.00 10.75 2.25 1.00 1.75 5.00 12.00 17.00 ELONGATED 14.00 11.00 2.50 1.00 1.50 5.75 15.25 ELONGATED 14.00 11.00 2.50 1.00 1.75 5.00 14.50 ELONGATED 14.00 11.00 2.50 1.00 1.88 5.00 12.13 17.00 ELONGATED 14.38 11.50 2.25 1.50 1.50 5.00 15.25 16.75 ELONGATED 15.25 10.38 1.50 0.88 1.50 * * * ELONGATED 15.25 11.75 1.50 1.00 1.63 4.25 12.25 * NOT APPLICABLE - ONE PIECE UNIT

Unusual shape differences among models further contributed to the complexity. For examples: 1. Some toilets have a bulge at the front end of the toilet bowl and, therefore, have a zero value for FLD. 2. Some toilets are one piece unit, that is, the toilet tank and bowl are not separate units.

It can be concluded from this myriad of sizes and shapes that designing a one-size bidet assembly—that will fit within the confines of any toilet—presents a major challenge to innovation. This may well be the reason why all prior art bidet devices retrofit outside the confines of a toilet tank and bowl.

The uncomfortable feeling of chilly cold water on a user's skin is addressed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,843,432, 6,643,856, 6,178,568, 5,953,766, 5,809,585, 5,271,104, 4,242,764, and 4,691,391 by either mixing a hot water source with cold water or passing cold water through a special heater. Having a hot water source next to a toilet, however, is not common. Installing a special heater adds further to the expense and complexity of a bidet assembly.

In the present invention of a bidet assembly, all of the above said problems and deficiencies are successfully solved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a bidet assembly for retrofitting toilets of all sizes and shapes to provide clean fine jet stream of water for the cleansing of a user's private parts while keeping water from splashing out of a toilet bowl without the use of any controlling devices. The bidet assembly of this invention comprises a nozzle, preferably connected to a multi-port fitting which is connected to a water supply tube and a non-permanent mounting means for holding said nozzle inside a toilet bowl, preferably at the bowl's lip vertical surface or under the bowl's lip horizontal surface. Said strategic placement of said nozzle keeps the jet stream of water within the bowl inner chamber (below its lip) and prevents water from splashing out. The bidet assembly of this invention is easily installed within the confines of a toilet tank and bowl, with most of its parts not visible, therefore it is not unsightly.

The bidet assembly of this invention may also have multiple nozzles by attaching one or more multi-port tube fitting to said water supply tube. There can be as many nozzles as there are available ports. For example, one “T” tube fitting, which has 3 ports, can have two connected nozzles.

Said nozzle of this present invention, preferably connected to a multi-port tube fitting, can also be rotated on a vertical plane and, thereby, its water jet angle can be adjusted to fit a myriad sizes and shapes of toilets and by the user to direct the water jet toward user's private parts. The embodiment of said adjustable nozzle obviates the need and expense for a hand held device found in many prior arts so that water can be directed to desired private parts. By being able to adjust the water jet angle, a user can also keep the water jet spray from shooting outside of a toilet. Therefore, said adjustable nozzle also obviates the need and expense of a control valve found in many prior arts to control water pressure for keeping water jet stream from shooting out of a toilet. Although said nozzle can be rotated, it is preferably tightly connected to said multi-port tube fitting and friction prevents it from loosely and freely rotating. Therefore, said nozzle can still be adjusted and set in place by a user.

One embodiment example of said multi-port tube fitting is the type that is called “instant-connect” fitting, wherein a tubing is connected to said fitting simply by pushing the tubing in to obtain water-tight seal without any nut to turn and tighten.

One embodiment example of said non-permanent mounting means is a “C” clamp that holds said water supply tube and the connected end of said nozzle on the underside of a bowl's lip. Another embodiment example of said non-permanent mounting means is a long and stiff member with a spring-back property that wedges itself and one end of said water supply tube and nozzle assembly against a toilet bowl's inside curve surface and below the bowl's lip underside. Said long and stiff member is first bent to pass through a the bowl's opening and then released. Said long and stiff member, due to its spring-back property, tends to straighten out but is restrained by the bowl inside surfaces. Therefore, the tension within said restrained long and stiff member holds the member wedged against the bowl inside surfaces.

A further embodiment of present invention is that said long and stiff member has a preferred initial pre-bent form, instead being straight, that provides said member in good contact around the toilet bowl inside surfaces.

A further embodiment of the present invention is that said water supply tube being directly connected to the bowl refill nipple on the ballcock (also called “fill valve”) so that clean water for cleansing is provided as the toilet is being flushed and the bowl is being refilled with water running through said bidet assembly of this invention.

A further embodiment of the present invention is an anti-siphoning means is attached to said water supply tube, which is directly connected to the bowl refill nipple as its water supply source.

A further preferred embodiment of the present invention is that said non-permanent mounting means, said water supply tube and said nozzle is one integral unit formed from a single tube.

A further preferred embodiment of the present invention is that said non-permanent mounting means, said water supply tube and said nozzle is one integral unit joined together by at least one fitting.

A still further preferred embodiment of the present invention is that at least one nozzle is provided through the use of multi-port fitting or jointed fittings. Therefore, if the singular word of nozzle is used in this Specification, it should not be construed that only one nozzle can be used.

A still further preferred embodiment of the present invention is that said nozzle is selected from the list of tubing, bent tubing, straight fitting, elbow fitting and 90° elbow flexible-tube fitting.

A still further preferred embodiment of the present invention is to provide fine jet stream of sprayed water in discontinuous droplets, which has the effects of a pleasurable cool sensation rather than the shock of an onslaught of uncomfortable chilly cold sensation. This is accomplished without the use of a hot water source or a heater.

An objective of the present invention is to provide a bidet assembly that is inexpensive to manufacture.

A further objective of the present invention is to provide a bidet assembly that can be manufactured using commonly available merchandise.

A further objective of the present invention is to provide a bidet assembly that is capable of retrofitting all size and shape of toilets. A one size fits all.

A still further objective of the present invention is to provide a bidet assembly that is simple, quick and easy to install and remove and without the need to remove the toilet seat during installation or removal.

A still further objective of the present invention is to provide a bidet assembly that does not mar nor damage a toilet.

A still further objective of the present invention is to provide a bidet assembly that does not cause water to splash out of a toilet bowl through the strategic placement of nozzle.

A still further objective of the present invention is to provide a bidet assembly that has no valve, handle, and control to manipulate and, therefore, is easy to use.

A still further objective of the present invention is to provide a bidet assembly that is hidden within the confines of a toilet tank, bowl and seat and, therefore, not unsightly.

A still further objective of the present invention is to provide a bidet assembly that fulfills sanitary requirements and which is not vertically under the opening of a toilet seat and, therefore, not under a user's buttock, and therefore, can not be soiled by the user.

The present invention of a bidet assembly is particularly noteworthy in providing an inexpensive bidet assembly that a user can install or remove quickly and easily, that is hidden from view, that provides cool clean water to the user for cleansing private parts by just simply flushing a toilet without manipulating any controls, that can retrofit all toilet sizes and shapes, that meets sanitary requirements, and that does not cause water to splash out of a toilet.

The various features and benefits which characterize the present invention of a bidet assembly will become apparent with those skilled in the art after reading the following description of drawings and detailed description of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of a conventional toilet, without its cover, seat, tank cover and tank contents, wherein the dimension of parts is referenced by letters.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the toilet in FIG. 1 wherein the dimension of parts is also referenced by letters.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a conventional toilet, without its cover, seat and tank cover, wherein parts referred to in this invention are identified.

FIG. 4 is the same cross-sectional view as FIG. 2 wherein parts referred to in this invention are identified.

FIG. 5 is a top view of a conventional toilet similar to FIG. 1 wherein the hidden elliptical profile of part 7, in broken line, has been added.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a basic “C” clamp mounting means.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a threaded rod “C” clamp mounting means.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a spring-loaded “C” clamp mounting means.

FIG. 9 is a rear view of the spring-loaded “C” clamp of FIG. 8 showing the location of the spring.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a basic “C” clamp bidet assembly of this invention, as installed in a toilet, which is shown as a vertical cross-section taken along the line 10-10 of a conventional toilet shown in FIG. 3 and view at an oblique angle in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a tube with a flare end.

FIG. 12 is a top front view of an integral “C” clamp bidet assembly of this invention wherein the water supply portion and the nozzle are on the same dimensional plane.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an integral “C” clamp bidet assembly of this invention, shown in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing an embodiment example of said integral “C” clamp bidet assembly in one dimensional plane, as installed in a toilet, which is shown as a vertical cross-section and view at an oblique angle.

FIG. 15 is a top front view of an integral “C” clamp bidet assembly of this invention wherein the water supply portion and the nozzle are on different dimensional planes.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an integral “C” clamp bidet assembly of this invention, shown in FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing an embodiment example of said integral “C” clamp bidet assembly on two dimensional planes, as installed in a toilet, which is shown as a vertical cross-section and view at an oblique angle.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing an embodiment example of a bidet assembly of this invention featuring a long and stiff member with spring-back property mounting means, as installed in a toilet, which is shown as a vertical cross-section and view at an oblique angle.

FIG. 19 is a graph on x-y axes with a formula for calculating the % spring-back for a long and stiff member.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of an integral long and stiff member bidet assembly of this invention formed from a single tube.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing an embodiment example of said integral long and stiff member bidet assembly of FIG. 20, as installed in a toilet, which is shown as a vertical cross-section and view at an oblique angle.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of an example of a four-port fitting for a multi-port fitting of this invention.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of an example of a two-jointed “T” tube fitting to provide for a four-port fitting of this invention and showing the rotation of the fittings on two dimensional planes.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an integral long and stiff member bidet assembly of this invention using said two-jointed “T” tube fitting of FIG. 23 and having one tube nozzle. Said long and stiff member comprises of two lengths of tubing 61 and 62 joined together by said jointed “T” tube fitting.

FIG. 25 is a top front view of said bidet assembly shown in FIG. 24.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an integral long and stiff member bidet assembly of this invention using said two-jointed “T” tube fitting of FIG. 23 and having two tube nozzles.

FIG. 27 is a top front view of said bidet assembly shown in FIG. 26.

FIG. 28 is perspective view showing an embodiment example of the integral long and stiff member bidet assembly with one tube nozzle of FIGS. 24 and 25, as installed in a toilet, which is shown as a vertical cross-section and view at an oblique angle.

FIG. 29 is perspective view showing an embodiment example of the integral long and slender member bidet assembly with two tube nozzles of FIGS. 26 and 27, as installed in a toilet, which is shown as a vertical cross-section and view at an oblique angle.

FIG. 30 is a perspective view showing an embodiment example of a bidet assembly wherein said water supply tube is connected to a “T” tube fitting having three ports to provide for two tube nozzles.

FIG. 31 is a perspective view showing an embodiment example of a “C” clamp bidet assembly wherein said “C” clamp and water supply tube are one integral tubing unit. The bottom end of said tubing unit is connected to a “T” fitting with three ports to provide for two tube nozzles.

FIG. 32 shows two ellipses representing the elliptical shape of an actual toilet bowl opening 3 (smaller elliptical shape) and the bowl's lip underside rear corner edge 7 (larger elliptical shape), shown in FIG. 5. Part 75 represents a long and stiff member bent into a “U” shape in order to pass through the toilet bowl opening 3. Thereafter, said bent long and stiff member is released in the larger opening of 7 and, like a spring, the “U” shape opens up wider to become part 76.

FIG. 33 is a perspective view showing an embodiment example of a bidet assembly wherein one end of said water supply tube has a “Z” shape bent before connecting to a “T” tube fitting with three ports and provides for two bent tube nozzles.

FIG. 34 is the same bidet assembly shown of FIG. 33 except that the two bent tube nozzles are replaced with two 90° elbow tube fittings.

FIG. 35 is a perspective view showing the FIG. 34 bidet assembly, using a basic “C” clamp mounting means, as installed in a toilet, which is shown as a vertical cross-section and view at an oblique angle.

FIG. 36 is a perspective view showing the FIG. 34 bidet assembly, using a long and stiff member mounting means, as installed in a toilet, which is shown as a vertical cross-section and view at an oblique angle.

FIG. 37 is the same bidet assembly of FIG. 34 showing the independent arc of rotation on a vertical plane for each nozzle.

FIG. 38 is a perspective view showing an embodiment example of a bidet assembly wherein one end of the water supply tube has a “L” shape bent before connecting to a “T” tube fitting with three ports and provides for two 90° elbow tube fitting nozzles.

FIG. 39 is a perspective view showing the FIG. 38 bidet assembly, using a basic “C” clamp mounting means, as installed in a toilet, showing only a cut-away portion of a toilet bowl's rear end in a vertical cross-section and view at an oblique angle.

FIG. 40 is a perspective view showing the FIG. 38 bidet assembly, using a long and stiff member mounting means—which is placed under and supporting said bidet assembly—as installed in a toilet, showing only a cut-away portion of a toilet bowl's rear end in a vertical cross-section and view at an oblique angle.

FIG. 41 is a perspective view showing the FIG. 38 bidet assembly, using a long and stiff member mounting means, which is placed on top of and tied to said bidet assembly.

FIG. 42 is a perspective view showing the FIG. 41 bidet assembly, as installed in a toilet, showing only a cut-away portion of a toilet bowl's rear end in a vertical cross-section and view at an oblique angle.

FIG. 43 is a perspective view showing an embodiment example of a bidet assembly similar to said bidet assembly shown in FIG. 41, except that said long and stiff member, instead of being tied to the “T” tube fitting, the “T” tube fitting has a built-in bridge with a hole through which said long and stiff member is threaded through.

FIG. 44 is a perspective view showing the FIG. 43 bidet assembly, as installed in a toilet, showing only a cut-away portion of a toilet bowl's rear end in a vertical cross-section and view at an oblique angle.

FIG. 45 is a perspective view showing the FIG. 38 bidet assembly, using an adhesive mounting means holding the vertical water supply tube to a toilet bowl lip's rear vertical surface, as installed in a toilet, showing only a cut-away portion of a toilet bowl's rear end in a vertical cross-section and view at an oblique angle.

FIG. 46 is a perspective view showing an embodiment example of a bidet assembly similar to said bidet assembly shown in FIG. 41, except using a narrower “U” shape rod, which is also shorter than said long and stiff member of FIG. 41, but is similarly tied to said “T” tube fitting.

FIG. 47 is a top front view of the bidet assembly of FIG. 46.

FIG. 48 is a top front view of the bidet assembly shown in FIGS. 46 and 47, as installed in the rear of a toilet bowl with a rod and a plate hanging mounting means. The bowl's lip vertical face 8 is partially cut away in order to show the otherwise covered BLE bidet assembly.

FIG. 49 is a perspective view of a check valve connected to an equal “T” tube fitting.

FIG. 50 is a perspective view of a “T” tube fitting with a built-in check valve on its 3^(rd) port.

FIG. 51 is a top view of a preferred embodiment example of a 90° elbow jet nozzle with its inside channels shown in dash lines.

FIG. 52 is a top view of another preferred embodiment example of a 90° elbow single-barbed jet nozzle with its inside channels shown in dash lines.

FIG. 53 shows an ideally bent long and stiff member 50 that is in intimate contact with the toilet bowl's inside surface below the elliptical contour of rim's lip underside corner 7.

FIG. 54 is a view of a bending-mold tool example for bending long and stiff member 50 to a desire pre-form.

FIG. 55 is a view of another bending-mold tool that gives a bent member 50 that closely resemble the ideally bent member 50 shown in FIG. 53.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an inexpensive bidet assembly for retrofitting toilets of all sizes and shapes to provide clean jet stream of water for the cleansing of a user's private parts through the normal action of flushing a toilet, without any handles nor controlling devices. The bidet assembly of this invention comprises a nozzle, preferably connected to a multi-port tube fitting which is connected to a water supply tube, and a non-permanent mounting means for holding said nozzle and fitting assembly inside a toilet bowl and under the lip 1 of toilet bowl 18. Such strategic placement of said nozzle keeps jet stream of water within the bowl inner chamber (below the bowl's lip) and prevents water from spraying or splashing out. The bidet assembly of this invention meets sanitary requirements and is easily installed within the confines of a toilet tank and bowl, with most of its parts not visible, therefore it is not unsightly.

A perspective view of a conventional toilet is shown in FIG. 3 without the toilet cover, seat and tank cover. A cross-sectional view of a conventional toilet is shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, without the toilet cover, seat, tank cover and tank contents.

The toilet bowl 18 has a lip land inside surface 2. Said lip 1 comprises a top rim corner edge 3, a bottom rim corner edge 5, an underside horizontal surface 6, an underside rear corner edge 7, a vertical face 8, and a top surface 9, whose surface extends toward and under the toilet tank 4. Each of said parts, except for top surface 9, inner surface 2 and tank 4, has an elliptical shape when viewed from the top. This is shown in FIG. 5. The thickness of lip 1 is referenced by LH.

The toilet tank 4 has a top rim 11. Inside tank 4 is a ballcock 12, which comprises a bowl refill nipple 13, a tank refill pipe 14, a valve control rocker arm 15 attached to a ball float 16, and an overfill pipe 17.

The said non-permanent mounting means of this present invention of a bidet assembly provides the advantages of quick and easy installation and removal, not marring nor permanently damaging a toilet, which would have happened with conventional installation means using adhesives, screws or bolts. This invention of a bidet assembly also has no moving parts, which can break down. These benefits appeal not only to homeowners but also to home renters, who can take said bidet assembly with them when they move and install it in their new home.

If a single nozzle is mentioned in some bidet assembly, it is understood that additional nozzles can be added through the use of one or more multi-port tube fittings to provide more ports for the connection of additional nozzles. Examples of said embodiment of tube fittings providing at least one nozzles are shown in FIGS. 26, 30, 33, 34 and 38. In all of these examples, the shape of one end of their water supply tube varies from a long and stiff member 50, a “U”, a “Z, and a “L”. Although the equal “T” tube fitting is preferably used in said examples, other tube fitting configurations can also be used.

An embodiment example of said non-permanent mounting means in this present invention of a bidet assembly is a “C” clamp device that wedges the water supply tube and the connected end of a nozzle on bowl lip 1 of a toilet. Three embodiment examples of said “C” clamp device are the basic “C” clamp BC of FIG. 6, the threaded rod tightening-clamp TC of FIG. 7, and the spring-loaded clamp SC of FIG. 8 and FIG. 9. These clamps adapt to a variety of bowl lip 1 thickness' LH by having the height of each of the vertical parts 20, 27, and the combined height of 28 and 29 at least higher than the thickest lip 1 of toilet bowls in the market. The manner by which each of said clamps adjust to lesser bowl lip 1 thickness LH is different and is discussed in succeeding paragraphs.

The basic “C” clamp in FIG. 6 is a one piece three segments unit. The top segment 19 is generally perpendicular to vertical segment 20. The bottom segment 21 is at an angle α less than 90 degree, preferably 45 degree, to the vertical segment 20. Said bottom segment 21 adjusts to lesser bowl lip 1 thickness LH by the flexing of the bottom segment 21 which thereby increases the GAP distance between said top segment 19 and the highest surface of said bottom segment 21. Said flexing occurs as the basic “C” clamp BC, shown in FIG. 10, is pushed forward and wedges nozzle 35 and water supply tube 39, which is wrapped around lip 1, on the rear portion of lip 1. In this embodiment example, said water supply tube 39 comprises of three sections: a first section of flexible tube 36, a second section of rigid inverted “U” tube 37, and a third section of flexible tube 38.

FIG. 10 shows the preferred connection arrangement in a toilet, shown without its seat, cover and tank cover, as a vertical cross-section taken along the line 10-10 of a conventional toilet shown in FIG. 3 and view at an oblique angle in the direction of the arrows. The first end of first section 36 is connected to tube nozzle 35. The other end of first section 36 is connect to one end of the second section 37, whose other end is connected to one end of the third section 38, whose other end is connected to the bowl refill nipple 13. The preferred way of keeping these water supply tube sections from view is by passing the first section of flexible tube 36 under a toilet seat between the seat bolting connections, under and up behind the toilet tank and then connects to the inverted “U” tube 37, which hangs on the rear tank top edge 11. A rigid material is preferred for said inverted “U” tube 37 to prevent from collapsing under the weight of a toilet tank cover.

The end portions of nozzle 35 and inverted “U” tube 37 that are connected to flexible tubing are preferably flared, shown in FIG. 11, in order to keep a flexible tubing from sliding off easily. The flare end has a similar effect as that of a single barbed tube fitting. A flared end 40 provides easier, faster and less costly way for making connection compared to conventional means of using a hose clamp or a tube-to-hose fitting.

The application of the threaded rod tightening-clamp TC, shown in FIG. 7, is used in place of the basic “C” clamp in FIG. 10. Said TC clamp provides a handle 24 for hand turning threaded rod 25 forcing plate 2 6 down and closing the gap between 26 and 23 until it tightens water supply tube 36 and nozzle 35 assembly around toilet bowl's lip 1.

The spring-loaded clamp SC shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 is in the close position. Squeezing the handles 32 and 33 together separates the two clamp surfaces 30 and 31. Upon release of said handles, said clamp surfaces 30 and 31 clamp down upon and hold said nozzle 35 and water supply tube 36 on bowl's lip 1 (see FIG. 10 and visualize the spring-loaded clamp SC in place of the basic clamp BC) for a range of bowl lip thickness.

A further embodiment of the present invention of a bidet assembly with a non-permanent securing means of “C” clamps wherein the basic “C” clamp, water supply tube and nozzle form one integral tubing unit. Said integral bidet assembly is made of stiff and rigid tube, preferably metal, such as stainless steel and copper. The required characteristics for clamping onto a bowl's lip 1 are the same as the basic “C” clamp BC shown in FIG. 6. Two embodiment examples are shown in FIG. 12, FIG. 13, FIG. 15, and FIG. 16.

FIG. 12 is a top front view of an integral “C” clamp bidet assembly IP of the present invention wherein the nozzle is on the same dimensional plane as the water supply tube clamping segments while FIG. 13 is its perspective view. Vertical segment 43, top segment 44, which is also the water supply tube, and bottom segment 45 form the “C” clamp. Similar to the basic “C” clamp, the angle between vertical segment 43 and bottom segment 45 is less than 90°, and is preferably 45°. A further preferred embodiment of this integral “C” clamp bidet assembly IP of the present invention is that the water supply tube comprises of the three-sections water supply assembly 39, as shown in FIG. 14: a first section of flexible tube 36, a second section of rigid inverted “U” tube 37, and a third section of flexible tube 38. The first end of first section 36 is connected to a shorten top segment 44 while its other end is connect to one end of second section 37, whose other end is connected to one end of third section 38, whose other end is connected to bowl refill nipple 13. Preferably, the end of rigid tubes connected to flexible tube has a flare.

FIG. 15 is a top front view of an integral “C” clamp bidet assembly IB of the present invention wherein tube nozzle 46 is on a separate plane as the “C” clamp segments while FIG. 16 is its perspective view. The plane of tube nozzle 46 in this embodiment example is perpendicular to the “C” clamp segments. The angle between vertical segment 47 and bottom segment 49 is less than 90°, and is preferably 45°. A further preferred embodiment of this integral “C” clamp bidet assembly IB of the present invention is for the water supply tube of said integral “C” clamp bidet assembly IB to comprise of the three-sections water supply assembly 39, as shown in FIG. 17: a first section of flexible tube 36, a second section of rigid inverted “U” tube 37, and a third section of flexible tube 38. The first end of first section 36 is connected to a shorten top section 48 while its other end is connect to one end of second section 37, whose other end is connected to one end of third section 38, whose other end is connected to bowl refill nipple 13. Preferably, the end of rigid tubes connected to flexible tube has a flare.

Although a single tube nozzle is shown for the “C” clamp bidet assemblies, as shown in FIG. 10, additional nozzles can be added through the use of one or more multi-port tube fittings to provide additional ports for the connection of additional nozzles. FIG. 31 shows a bidet assembly B wherein the water supply tube 72 is connected to a “T” tube fitting 68 to provide two ports for two tube nozzles, 73 and 74.

Another embodiment example of said non-permanent mounting means in this present invention of a bidet assembly is a long and stiff member 50 having a spring-back property, shown in FIG. 18, that wedges bidet tube nozzle 35 against the toilet bowl surface below the lip's underside 6 after said member 50 is bent, to pass through the bowl opening, and then is released. Said member 50, however, is restrained from recovering to its initial wider form by the narrower bowl inside surface. This restraint produces a force, due to said member 50's spring-back property, that wedges member 50 along the bowl's inside surrounding sloping surfaces, underneath the lip underside 6, and also presses nozzle 35 against the bowl rear surface. The preferred shape of said long and stiff member 50 is selected from the group consisting of a tube, a rod, and a bar.

In order for said long and stiff member 50 to function as described above, said member 50 must have a length of at least 30% (see Example 1 for details) of the circumference of the underside corner edge 7 for each specific toilet plus a spring-back property of at least 11% (see Example 2 for details), measured by the method shown in FIG. 19.

The procedure for measuring % spring-back is given as follows: take a 14 inches straight length of a long and stiff member 50, clamp two inches of one end with the 2-inch mark at the zero mark along the x-axis on a table. The free end is then bent, along the y-axis by sliding along the surface of said table, to a distance of 10 inches (H1) from the x-axis follow by releasing said free end. The final distance of said free end from the x-axis is H2. The difference between H1 and H2 divided by H1 times a 100 is the member % spring-back property. A complete recovery to a straight line has a 100% spring-back property because its H2 value is zero. The measured % spring-back value for a ¼″ OD (outside diameter) copper tube (JMF Company, Bettendorf, Iowa) is 1.2% while that for 20 gauge galvanize steel wire (Hillman, Cincinnati, Ohio) is 55%.

The shape of underside corner edge 7 is approximately an ellipse (FIG. 5) and the formula for calculating the circumference of an ellipse is:

${Cicumference} = {3.1416 \times \sqrt{\frac{a^{2} + b^{2}}{2}}}$

Where a=A/2 and b=B/2.

A further embodiment of said long and stiff member in this present invention of a bidet assembly as a means for mounting a nozzle and water supply tube is an endless loop. Said endless loop can achieve the same result of wedging and firmly holding a nozzle and water supply tube assembly against a bowl's inside wall surface under bowl lip 1 even with % spring-back value of less than 11%.

A still further embodiment of a long and stiff member as a said non-permanent securing means in this present invention of a bidet assembly is that said long and stiff member, a nozzle, and water supply tube become an integral unit fabricated from a single stiff tube. FIG. 20 shows such an embodiment example of an integral unit IC wherein nozzle 51 is one of the end segment, the long and stiff mounting member 52 is the middle segment, and the water supply 53 is the last segment. The long and stiff member segment 52 serves a dual function for mounting onto a toilet bowl and providing water to the nozzle.

A still further embodiment of said integral unit IC is that the water supply segment 53 comprises of the three-sections water supply assembly 39, as shown in FIG. 21: a first section of flexible tube 36, a second section of rigid inverted “U” tube 37, and a third section of flexible tube 38. The first end of first section 36 is connected to a shorten water supply segment 53 of integral bidet assembly IC while its other end is connect to one end of second section 37, whose other end is connected to one end of third section 38, whose other end is connected to bowl refill nipple 13. Preferably, the end of rigid tubes connected to flexible tube has a flare.

A still further embodiment example of a long and stiff member as a said non-permanent securing means in this present invention of a bidet assembly is that said long and stiff member comprises of two sections, joined by a multi-port tube-to-tube fitting, to form a jointed long and stiff member. With a four-port fitting, a nozzle and water supply tube are connected to the remaining 2 ports. Additional nozzles can be connected with a fitting having more than four ports or additional multi-port tube fitting can be connected.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of an embodiment sample of a four-port tube-to-tube fitting. A preferred embodiment example is shown in FIG. 23, wherein the four ports are created using two “T” tube-to-tube fittings, joined together by a short tube 54. Said two-jointed “T” fitting JT provides the benefits of having two-dimensional rotations. Port 57 can be rotated and thus rendering it easier to connect to the water supply tube 67 in FIG. 28 and FIG. 29. Port 58 can be rotated, on a vertical plane, to adjust the angle of water jet stream, from an inserted nozzle, from high to low. However, with the preferred embodiment examples in this invention of a bidet assembly of FIG. 28 and FIG. 29, said inserted nozzle 63 can only rotate from and below a horizontal position because the above horizontal position is restricted by the bowl's lip underside horizontal surface 6. This feature ensures that the water jet stream stays below lip 1, keeping the water within the bowl and avoid splashing outside of bowl 18.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view showing the preferred embodiment of said jointed “T” fitting JT in this present invention of a bidet assembly B1 having one nozzle and FIG. 25 shows its top front view. FIG. 28 shows an embodiment example of said bidet assembly B1 converted to bidet assembly B3 having a shorten initial rigid water supply tube 67 plus the three-sections water supply assembly 39: a first section of a flexible tube 36, a second section of rigid inverted “U” tube 37, and a third section of flexible tube 38. The first end of tube 67 is connected to said jointed “T” fitting JT, while its other end is connect to one end of first section 36, whose other end is connected to one end of second section 37, whose other end is connected to third section 38, whose other end is connected to bowl refill nipple 13. Prior to the connections described above, the bidet assembly B3 with said shorten initial rigid water supply tube 67 is first inserted into the toilet bowl by holding the ends of arm 61 and arm 62 and bending both arms just enough to squeeze pass through the bowl's opening defined by the vertical lip surface 8, followed by releasing the arms. Further adjustment is made to locate the nozzle 63 to the rear center of the bowl by sliding said bidet assembly B3 around the bowl surface under lip 1. Preferably, the end of rigid tube connected to flexible tube has a flare.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view showing the preferred embodiment of said jointed tee fitting JT in this present invention of a bidet assembly B2 having two nozzles and FIG. 27 shows its top front view. FIG. 29 shows an embodiment example of said bidet assembly B2 converted to bidet assembly B4 comprising a shorten initial rigid water supply tube 67 plus the three-sections water supply assembly 39: a first section of flexible tube 36, a second section of rigid inverted “U” tube 37, and a third section of flexible tube 38. The first end of tube 67 is connected to said jointed “T” fitting JT, while its other end is connect to one end of first section 36, whose other end is connected to one end of second section 37, whose other end is connected to third section 38, whose other end is connected to bowl refill nipple 13. Prior to the connections described above, the bidet assembly B4 is first inserted inside the toilet bowl by holding the ends of arm 62 and arm 65 and bending both arms just enough to squeeze pass through the bowl's opening defined by the vertical lip surface 8, followed by releasing the arms. Further adjustment is made to locate the nozzle to the rear center of the bowl by sliding said bidet assembly B3 around the bowl surface under lip 1. Preferably, the end of rigid tube connected to flexible tube has a flare.

FIG. 33 shows still another preferred embodiment example of this present invention of a bidet assembly showing an assembly ZT, comprising of a water supply tube having one end bent to a “Z” shape 77 connected to a “T” tube fitting 79, which has two connected bent tube nozzles 78.

FIG. 34 shows still another preferred embodiment example of this present invention of a bidet assembly showing an assembly ZE, similar to that of FIG. 33 except 90° elbow flexible single barb tube fittings 80 replaced the bent tube nozzles 78. The use of barbed flexible tube fittings as nozzles provides four advantages: 1. Flexible tube fittings are commercially available merchandise, 2. They have the right dimensions, 3. The barb permits the use of one size smaller diameter flexible tube fitting and yet provides a water-tight seal, 4. They reduce the tube fitting's diameter to a much smaller diameter thereby resulting in a finer and discontinuous water stream spray, which gives a warmer sensation even from a rather chilly cold water source. This effect of reducing a rather chilly cold water to a tolerable cool sensation obviates the need for a warm water source or heater in areas where there is winter. Preferably, 90° elbow 3/16″ flexible tube ID single barb fitting used in conjunction with ¼″ tube OD multi-port fitting.

FIG. 35 shows a preferred embodiment of a bidet assembly using said ZE assembly with the basic “C” clamp BC for its mounting means, as installed in a toilet, wherein the water supply tube 77 is preferably replaced with a short initial “Z” shape tube 81 and said three-sections water supply assembly 39: a first section of flexible tube 36, a second section of rigid inverted “U” tube 37, and a third section of flexible tube 38. The first end of said “Z” shape tube 81 is connected to the “T” tube fitting 79, while its other end is connect to one end of first section 36, whose other end is connected to one end of second section 37, whose other end is connected to third section 38, whose other end is connected to a toilet bowl refill nipple 13.

In this preferred embodiment, the nozzles 80 have a high degree of rotation on a vertical plane thus enabling the nozzles 80 to direct jetting water even above a horizontal plane. This permits a user to direct jetting water upward toward a user's anus area. However, if the user is not sitting on the toilet seat or there is no user and the toilet cover is not down, the nozzles can shoot water outside the toilet.

FIG. 36 shows another preferred embodiment of a bidet assembly using said ZE assembly similar to that shown in FIG. 35 except that the long and stiff member 50 is used for its mounting means.

FIG. 37 shows the same ZE assembly of FIG. 34, but also shows the arc of rotation on a vertical plane, independently, for each nozzle. This nozzle's feature gives a user the flexibility to direct each jet stream of water to desired part of a user's private parts. Once each nozzle is set at desired angle before use, no further adjustment or manipulation is required thereafter. Of course, a user can change his or her mind and, just as easily, reset each nozzle angle again.

FIG. 38 is a perspective view showing another embodiment example of a bidet assembly showing an assembly LE, wherein one end of the water supply tube 82 has a “L” shape bent instead of the “Z” shape bent water supply tube 77 of FIG. 37. In this embodiment, the “L” shape bent requires one less bending work than the “Z” shape bent and the “T” tube fitting 79 is on a horizontal plane, whereas in said assembly ZE of FIG. 37 the “T” tube fitting 79 is on a vertical plane. FIG. 39 shows a preferred embodiment of the bidet assembly utilizing said assembly LE of FIG. 38 with the basic “C” clamp BC for its mounting means, as installed in a toilet, wherein its water supply tube 82 is preferably replaced with a shorten “L” shape initial tube 83 and said preferred three-sections water supply assembly 39: a first section of flexible tube 36 and other sections similarly described for and shown in FIG. 35. The toilet in this figure shows only a cut-away portion of a toilet bowl's rear end in a vertical cross-section and view at an oblique angle.

The assembly comprising said short “L” shape water tube 83, said “T” tube fitting 79, and said two jet nozzles 80 is given the name “BLE assembly”.

In this preferred embodiment, the horizontal plane of “T” tube fitting 79 is butted up against the bowl's lip underside 6, thereby restricting nozzles 80 from rotating higher than a horizontal plane. This keeps the jet stream of water from shooting higher than the bowl lip underside 6, thus prevents water from spraying outside a toilet.

The preferred embodiment of a bidet assembly of FIG. 40 is similar to that of FIG. 39 except that said long and stiff member 50 mounting means is used instead of the basic “C” clamp BC mounting means. In this embodiment, the nozzles 80 are completely restricted from rotation by the bowl's lip underside 6 above them and the long and stiff member 50 below them.

It is usually more preferable to give some degree of rotational freedom to the nozzles 80 using said long and stiff member 50 with said assembly LE. This is accomplished in FIG. 41 by placing said long and stiff member 50 on top of said assembly LE. In this embodiment example, the long and stiff member 50 has to be attached to the LE bidet assembly, which in this embodiment, by a crisscross ties 84. This requirement for attachment becomes obvious when one looks at FIG. 42, which shows the BLE assembly, similar to said LE assembly, except that its water supply tube is replaced with a “L” shape shorten water supply tube, with said long and stiff member 50 above it. The “L” shape water supply tube is connected to the flexible tube 36 of said preferred three-sections water supply system as shown in FIG. 36.

If the BLE assembly is not attached to the long and stiff member 50, the BLE assembly is not secured to the toilet bowl because the flexible tube 36 is incapable of holding it up, therefore, the BLE assembly would fall off.

One example of a preferred attachment means for the BLE assembly to the long and stiff member 50, as shown in FIG. 41 and FIG. 42, is using two plastic cable ties, also called “zip ties,” in a crisscross pattern. If only a single cable tie is used, although it is strong enough to hold the BLE assembly, the long and stiff member 50 does not sit square with the “T” tube fitting. Another example of an attachment means, shown in FIG. 43 and FIG. 44, is a “T” tube fitting with a built-in bridge 83 with an underneath hole through which said long and stiff member 50 is threaded through.

A different means of mounting said BLE bidet assembly to a toilet bowl is adhesive tape 85 as shown in FIG. 45, wherein the short “L” shape water supply tube 83 is taped to the toilet bowl's lip vertical surface 8 with said adhesive tape.

FIG. 46 shows still another means of mounting said LE assembly to a toilet bowl by attaching a short “U” shape rod 86. FIG. 47 shows its top front view. The short “U” shape rod 86 differs from the long and stiff rod member 50, shown in FIG. 41, in four ways: 1. Its shape is bent like a tight “U”, 2. The “U” shape rod is shorter, 3. It does not need to have any spring-back property, 4. It is not a mounting means by itself but needs attached hangers, shown in FIG. 48.

FIG. 48 shows the assembly of FIGS. 46 and 47 as installed in a toilet, wherein said water supply tube 82 is replaced with a initial short “L” shape water supply tube 83 plus the usual three-sections water supply assembly 39 but only the first section of flexible tube 36 is shown in the figure. The toilet in this figure is viewed from top front and shows only a cut-away portion of a toilet bowl's rear end. A portion of the bowl's lip vertical face 8 is also cut away in order to show the otherwise covered BLE bidet assembly. The upper part of the toilet seat 89 has been cut away. The bidet assembly is mounted on the toilet bowl using hangers, chosen from a group consisting of rod hanger 87 and plate hanger 88, attached on the ends of said “U” rod 86.

A further preferred embodiment of this present invention of a bidet assembly is the use of instant-connect (push-to-connect) tube fittings. Watts Company of North Andover, Mass. is one of many manufacturer of such fittings. Said instant-connect tube fittings provide two advantages: 1. Quick and easy connection between tubing and fitting, 2. Inserted tubing can be rotated within the instant tube fitting and still maintain water-tight seal. In comparison, compression tube fitting takes time turning a nut to tighten and leaks developed if nut is not fully tighten.

A still further preferred embodiment of this present invention of a bidet assembly is the use of flexible tube fittings as jet nozzles. The use of flexible tube fittings as nozzles provides three advantages: 1. Readily available merchandise, 2. The right dimensions, 3. Reduces tube fitting's diameter to a much smaller diameter that gives a finer and discontinuous water stream spray, which gives a warmer sensation even from a rather chilly cold water source. A still further preferred embodiment is that said flexible tube fittings have barbs. The barb has a larger diameter and therefore permits the use of one size smaller flexible tube fitting for corresponding instant-connect tube fitting while maintaining water-tight seal.

The use of a toilet bowl's refill water outlet nipple as a water supply source provides easy installation of a bidet assembly. However, it can create a problem if (1) the ballcock (also called “fill valve”) does not “breathe”, and (2) the outlet of the new water supply line is at or lower than the toilet tank bottom level. The problem is a continuous water leak out of the jet nozzle. This is caused by a siphoning effect of water from the toilet tank by the water supply tube of the bidet assembly.

Some type of ballcock breathes, so that after the water is automatically shut off by the toilet float mechanism, air enters the ballcock to prevent said siphoning effect.

Therefore, another preferred embodiment of this present invention of a bidet assembly is the incorporation of an anti-siphoning means. Basically, such anti-siphoning means lets air gets suck into the water supply tube after water has been shut off. There are many different ways to accomplish said anti-siphoning means for those skill in the art, and therefore, it is not the objective here to enumerate all of them here. Three such means are discussed below.

Check valve permits fluid to travel only in one direction. The use of said check valve is shown in FIG. 49 and FIG. 50. FIG. 49 shows a “T” fitting 79 is introduced into the water supply line, resulting in two tube sections 90 and 91, where tube 90 is connected to the toilet bowl's refill nipple and tube 91 is connected to the rest of the bidet assembly. A check valve 92 is connected to the side port of the “T” tube fitting. The arrow 9 3 indicates the direction of flow, which in this case, only air can flow in through the hole 94, which must be kept above the surface of water line in the toilet tank, and therefore exposed to the atmosphere.

FIG. 50 shows a “T” tube fitting 95 with a built-in check valve for its side port. It functions the same was as that of FIG. 49.

A simple and less costly anti-siphoning means is making at least one pinhole in the water supply line. This will work only if the pinhole's location in the water supply line is above the surface of the toilet tank's water line and preferably located inside the toilet tank. When water is running inside said water supply line, a very fine stream of water will be jetted out of the pinhole due to the pressurized water—this is reason why said pinhole should be located inside the toilet tank—and as the water is shut off, air will be sucked in through the pinhole. The size of said pinhole, preferably less than 0.025 inch in diameter, has insignificant impact on the nozzle's water jet pressure.

As previously mentioned, flexible-tube fittings are preferably used as jet nozzles. Since flexible-tube fittings have barbs to keep flexible tubing from slipping out of the fitting, a flexible-tube fitting can be inserted only into a tube fitting that is one size larger. This is because the outside diameter of the flexible-tube fitting at the barb is much larger than its specified size. For example, a 3/16″ flexible-tube fitting can be inserted into a ¼″ instant-connect tube fitting while a ¼″ flexible-tube fitting would be too large to be inserted into a ¼″ instant-connect tube fitting.

Commercially available flexible-tube fittings also do not give a tight fit to any commercially available instant-connect tube fittings. One reason is because there are widely different other dimensions for these two type of fittings, depending on their manufacturers. Another reason is that the flexible-tube fitting, being one size smaller than the tube fitting, is tight only at the barb location. As a result, 90° elbow flexible-tube fitting nozzles rotate too easily so that they can be accidentally knocked out of desired set angle during cleaning.

Therefore, a preferred embodiment of a 90° elbow plastic nozzle for the bidet assembly of this invention is a nozzle that fits very tightly in an instant-connect tube fitting of any made. FIG. 51 shows the top view of said 90° elbow plastic nozzle. OD is the outside diameter of each arm 97 nozzle and AL is the length of each arm nozzle. The outline of the inside diameter 98 of the nozzle channels is ID, shown in dash lines. The OD should be of the same size as the instant-connect tube fitting. Because of these problems with commercially available 90° elbow plastic nozzles, a preferred embodiment of a 90° elbow nozzle is described in this invention.

FIG. 52 shows the same 90° elbow plastic nozzle but with a single barb, whose maximum outside diameter 101 should be not more than 0.025 inch larger than each arm nozzle 100 outside diameter. The rear ROD is the same as the front TOD. The barb, when pushed passed a plastic seal “O” ring—which is inside an instant-connect tube fitting—keeps the nozzle from being pulled out from the instant-connect tube fitting. If the barb's maximum outside diameter 101 is 0.025 inch larger than an equally sized instant-connect tube fitting, the nozzle becomes too big to be inserted.

As mentioned previously, an embodiment example of said non-permanent mounting means in this present invention of a bidet assembly is a long and stiff member 50 having a spring-back property of at least 11% and whose length is at least 30% of the circumference of the rim's lip underside corner edge 7 for each specific toilet. Said long and stiff member 50 is normally installed into a toilet bowl by holding each end of said straight member with each hand and bending it by bringing both hands close enough so that it can pass through the bowl opening and then the ends are released. This is shown in FIGS. 18, 28, 36, 41 and a few other figures but without showing the hands bending it. Bending a straight long and stiff member 50 this way produces the highest bent or curvature at the center of the member 50 and the result is a shape that looks like a “V”. Upon releasing the ends of said bent member 50 inside the bowl 2 and under the bowl's rim lip 1, said member 50 is wedged at only at three points of contact with the toilet bowl's inside vertical surfaces 2 (near the under lip elliptical corner 7): its two tips and middle. This lack of intimate contact with the bowl inside vertical surfaces 2 is due to the fact that it has a “V” shape while the bowl's shape is elliptical. The middle portion of the “V” shape bent member 50 is also barely pressed against the rear of toilet bowl's surface, so that oftentimes, the bent member 50 swings down with its two tips against the toilet bowl's surface as its fulcrum.

Therefore, another preferred embodiment example of a bidet assembly of this invention is a long and stiff member 50 non-permanent mounting means that makes intimate contact with the bowl's inside vertical surfaces. This ideal is shown in FIG. 53 wherein bent member 50 closely follows the bowl rim's lip underside elliptical corner 7 contour. The middle portion of bent member 50 is kept straight because in normal application, a “T” tube fitting 79 is attached, as shown in FIG. 42. In order to achieve this result, the straight long and stiff member 50 has to be pre-formed by bending around a bending-mold.

A preferred embodiment example of a bending mold is the elliptical shape of a toilet bowl's corner 7. During the bending process, the whole length of said member 50 must remain in physical contact with the bending-mold and this requires using some restraining devices. Without restraining devices, the middle portion of said member 50 would be pushed away from the bending-mold. One might think that with proper restraints, said member 50 after having been forced to bend around the elliptical bending-mold would eventually make intimate contact along its whole length with bowl inside surfaces. But that is not the case, in fact, the higher the spring-back property of said member 50, the less intimate contact but the higher the spring-back wedging force. On the other hand, material with low (less than 11%) to negligible spring-back property, such as copper, such material would bend and assume close to the shape of the bending-mold but there is not enough spring-back wedging force to hold the member 50 in place. There are two factors that contribute to the above unusual behaviors. 1. The bowl's rim lip has a narrower/smaller elliptical contour than the bowl inside surfaces under the elliptical corner 7 contour. 2. The previously pre-formed member 50 has to be bent further to be able to be placed inside the bowl inside surfaces under the elliptical corner 7 contour. With a materials having a low (less than 11%) or negligible spring-back property, said pre-formed member 50, after being bent further and passing through bowl's rim lip, does not have enough spring-back property or force to wedge onto the bowl's surfaces. For a member 50 with a material having higher than 11% spring-back property, it would straighten somewhat after bending around a bending-mold and not assume the exact contour of the bending-mold. To pass through the bowl's rim lip, said member 50 is bent further but this time without a mold, so its middle section would again bend more and resulting again in a “V” shape, though not as pointed at the center.

FIG. 54 shows an example of a bending-mold tool that was fabricated and having the elliptical shape of a toilet bowl's corner 7 with a flat center 102, as shown in FIG. 53. Part 105 is a restraining piece that keeps the middle segment straight. Both 102 and 105 are spaced between them a gap equal to the diameter of a straight rod 50 and attached to Part 107, which is a backboard. The process of bending a straight rod 50 starts with centering and placing said rod 50 between parts 102 and 105. Then both wings 103 and 104 are swung down, turning on their respective bolted fulcrums 106, forcing said rod 50 tightly against the elliptical mold 102. Then both wings 103 and 104 are swung up. Rod 50, because of its spring-back property, recovers some of its straightness, as it is shown separated from the elliptical edge of 102.

FIG. 55 shows the most preferred embodiment of a bending-mold tool, shown without the two wings and backboard. The shape of this bending-mold tool 108 is shown in comparison with the elliptical shape of mold 102 in FIG. 54, which has the same shape as the elliptical contour of bowl's underside elliptical corner 7. The fulcrum point divide the edge contour lines of mold 108 into top (110, 112) and bottom (109, 111) edge contour segments. Note that the lower segments have exactly the same contour shape as its corresponding part of mold edge 102, after the fulcrum point. The tips of the lower segments 109 and 111 are rotated at a width distance toward the center around their respective fulcrum height. The bending-mold tool 108, as shown, was achieved only through numerous fine-tuning of the mold shape by adjusting the length of the middle straight segment, the height of the fulcrum and the tip distance width. A pre-form rod made from this mold 108 and then hand bent again to fit into bowl's rim lip gives intimate contact close to that shown in FIG. 53. Obviously, further fine tuning can produce a perfectly intimate contact as shown in FIG. 53. However, this is not necessary because sufficient surface contacts and excellent wedging performance have already been achieved. For example, with a 24-inch long, 0.125″ diameter 303 stainless steel rod, a pre-formed rod 50 snaps tightly in place inside a bowl's inside surfaces with a powerful wedging force of 2.43 pounds. The measured wedging force for two other materials are: 304 stainless steel at 2.92 pounds and 416 stainless steel at 1.92 pounds.

EXAMPLES

Example 1 gives the details of an experiment that determines the minimum length required for a long and stiff member 50 with good % spring-back property to wedge and hold itself in the inside bowl surface 2 and directly below the bowl's lip underside surface 6 and rear corner edge 7. Example 2 gives the details for determining the minimum % spring-back property for a long and stiff member in a toilet bowl. Example 3 gives the details of an experiment that measures the time to install and remove a preferred embodiment in this invention of a bidet assembly.

Example 1

The dimensions used for an actual sample toilet bowl are: A=17.75″, B=13.5″ (FIG. 5). These are the dimensions for the elliptical shape of a toilet bowl rear lip's corner edge 7. A straight steel threaded rod having size 10-24 and 0.192″ in diameter (made by Steel Works), purchased from Lowe's Home Improvement, was used for this experiment. A 22.6″ length, which is half the calculated-circumference, was used to wedge at the rear end of said bowl (FIG. 18). An equal length from each end of said threaded rod was progressively cut and reinstalled to check for holding power until said rod could no longer stay up on the bowl surface. The results are shown in the following table:

LENGTH CUT FINAL HOLDING ONTO FROM EACH END LENGTH BOWL SURFACE Start length 22.6″ YES 1.0″ 20.6″ YES 0.5″ 19.6″ YES 0.5″ 18.6″ YES 0.5″ 17.6″ YES 1.0″ 15.6″ YES 1.0″ 13.6″ NO The minimum length is calculated taking 13.6″ divided by the circumference of 45.2″ and is equaled to 30.0%.

Example 2

FIG. 32 shows two ellipses representing an actual toilet bowl opening (smaller elliptical shape) and the bowl's lip underside rear corner edge 7 (larger elliptical shape). Said larger elliptical shape of lip's underside rear corner edge 7 obviously can not be seen visibly and is drawn from measured values. In order to insert a long and stiff member into the inside surface of the larger elliptical shape of said bowl, the long and stiff member must first pass through the small bowl opening and this requires minimally bending it as represented by member 75. After passing through the bowl's opening, the ends are released and are restraint by the inside surface represented by the larger ellipse. Said long and stiff member would assume the position of member 76 after its release, assuming that it has enough spring-back property to reach this position represented by H2=7.900″. If the member has higher spring-back property, it would still be restraint but it would have a built-in flex tension, allowing it to press and wedge against the inner bowl surface. If it does not have enough spring-back property, the member would slide down the inner bowl surface. Therefore, the minimum % spring-back is 11.0%, as calculated as follows:

Minimum % Spring-Back=(H1−H2)×100/H1

Example 3

In this example, the preferred embodiment example of an integral long and slender member bidet assembly of this present invention shown in FIG. 28 was fabricated using only common commercially available tools and merchandise to demonstrate low manufacturing cost. Said bidet assembly was fabricated using: ¼″ OD and 0.218″ ID 304 stainless steel tubing, ¼″ ID and ⅜″ OD PVC (polyvinyl chloride) clear flexible tubing, and quick connect (push-to-connect) ¼″ OD tube “T” fittings (Watts, North Andover, Mass.)

The objectives of quick and easy installation in this present invention of a bidet assembly is demonstrated by timing the speed to install and to remove said fabricated bidet assembly from a toilet. A total of five trials of installation and removal were done. It is assumed that a user would first read an installation instruction prior to actual installation. Therefore, the recorded time is the actual time to install and remove, not counting the time to read the instruction.

Said fabricated bidet assembly comprises six parts: B3—the two jointed “T” fittings with nozzle 63 and short water supply tube 67 already attached, arms 61and 62, inverted rigid “U” tube 37, flexible tubes 36 and 38. The installation time also includes time to join said parts together plus removing and replacing a toilet tank cover. The result of five trials is shown in the following table.

TRIAL NO. 1 2 3 4 5 AVERAGE INSTALLATION 1′9″ 1′19″ 1′9″ 1′ 1′15″ 1′10″ TIME (Minutes) REMOVAL TIME 39″ 52″ 36″ 44″ 46″ 43″ (Seconds)

The average time for installation is less 1.5 minutes and for removal, less than a minute. These amazing results conclusively prove that this present invention of a bidet assembly is quick and easy to install and remove. 

1. A bidet assembly whose water supply tube is connected to the toilet bowl refill nipple as its source of water and wherein said water supply tube has an anti-siphoning means—located above the toilet tank water line—that introduces air into the water supply tube after the source of water is shut off by a valve actuated by the float.
 2. The bidet assembly of claim 1 wherein said anti-siphoning means is selected from the list of check valve and pinhole
 3. A bidet assembly whose water jet nozzle is 90° elbow flexible-tube fitting, wherein its nozzle's outside diameter is the same as the inside diameter of the bidet assembly's instant-connect tube fitting.
 4. The bidet assembly of claim 3 wherein said 90° elbow flexible-tube fitting has at least one barb, whose maximum outside diameter is not more than 0.025 inch larger than the nozzle's outside diameter.
 5. A bidet assembly whose non-permanent mounting means is a long and stiff member that has a pre-form shape made from bending around a bending-mold whose shape is the rear half of the corner elliptical contour, which is below the toilet bowl rim lip.
 6. The bidet assembly of claim 5 wherein the center section of said bending-mold has a straight section length of less than 6 inches.
 7. The bidet assembly of claim 5 wherein the fulcrum point of the lower segments of said mold's edge contour lines is less than 7.5 inches from said lower segment tips and their tip distance width is less than 6 inches. 